Control of fertiliser products

The production, marketing and import of fertiliser products are controlled by the Section for Fertiliser Products at Finnish Food Safety Authority Evira. Evira is using the assistance of inspecting officers of the Centres for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment and authorised inspecting officers. In addition to Evira, imports and exports are supervised by customs.

The aim of the controls is to ensure that the fertiliser products that are placed on the market comply with the requirements and that they are safe, so that the use of fertiliser products does not increase the accumulation of heavy metals in agricultural land and the environment and that it does not have adverse health effects on humans, animals or plants.

The control consists of the inspection of the own checks, production and import in accordance with the control plan that is compiled annually. In addition, market surveillance samples are taken of fertiliser products for sale in retail shops.

The production, marketing and import of fertiliser products and the general guidance of the controls are subject to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.

Register of entrepreneurs

For the purpose of supervision, Finnish Food Safety Authority Evira keeps a national register of entrepreneurs with a duty of notification.

The duty of notification concerns entrepreneurs who produce, technically treat, place on the market and import fertiliser products and raw material for these. More information on the duty of notification is found under the link obligations of entrepreneur.

The results of the controls

The Section for Fertiliser Products at Finnish Food Safety Authority Evira publishes annually reports specific to manufacturer and importer with the results that are essential from a control point of view on the authority’s internet pages: Tietoa Evirasta > Julkaisut > Kasvit > Raportit (in Finnish).

Decisions to ban fertiliser products

Finnish Food Safety Authority Evira can ban the production, treatment, placing on the market, usage, transport, storage, import and export of a fertiliser product or raw material for the product. The ban has to be cancelled if the shortcoming that serves as ground for the ban, say a deviation in quality, is no longer present in the product or operation.